'Missile defense deal could lead to arms race'

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Romanian counterpart signed the first bilateral agreement for the placement of AMD shield elements in the country

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Romanian counterpart signed the first bilateral agreement for the placement of AMD shield elements in the country

With Washington and Bucharest striking a deal to build elements of a European anti-missile defense shield in Romania, some observers are suggesting the agreement is more a political move than a military necessity.

­“No one really believed that there was a possibility of Iran attacking Europe – its missiles could not reach Western Europe,” Pierre Guerlain, a professor at Paris West University, told RT. “Washington probably wants to reassure the former satellite countries of the Soviet Union. So this is a political move – hardly a military necessity.”

Washington’s move comes at an inopportune time financially, Guerlain noted, as the US is struggling through a crisis that has left almost 30 million Americans unemployed.

Romania, for its part, is eager to demonstrate its independence from Moscow, added Guerlain.

“It is a way of antagonizing Russia, which is going to turn into, maybe, some kind of new arms race, which is totally pointless,” he said. “Not only because of the effectiveness of the shield is problematic, but also because it is going to cost a lot to both the US and Russia.”